Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Purpose of Myth Review

1. Four fundamental questions that myths address are "What is the nature of the universe in which I live?", "How do I relate to the universe?", "How much control do I have over my life?", and "What must I do in order to survive?"

2. Four themes in mythology are that first parents are often the gods of the sky and the earth; the creator-god usually fashions the first humans form parts of the earth; the creator-god destroys at least one world of mortals by causing a great flood; and heroes are children of gods who have an unusual birth, possess extraordinary strength, kill monsters with a special weapon, journey into the underworld, and have an unusual death.

3. The beginning of the universe for major cultures was a chaotic, formless mass that a god or pair of gods separate. The gods multiply so that they each can have their particular role in the universal scheme, and the creator-god brings life to earth.

4. Myths and epics teach members of society the appropriate attitudes, behavior, and values of that culture.

5. Ordinary people identify the heroes' imperfections with heroes because everyone has similar psychological needs and conflicts.

6. The foundation of the Matriarchal Society was the agricultural year.

7. Sigmund Freud views myths as the expression of the individual's unconscious wishes, fears, and drives.

8. Myths demonstrate that people possess the intellectual capacity to understand the world in which they live. 

BOR Essay: Is This Really Me?

No two people are exactly the same, but many people are similar. You share traits with family, friends, and strangers. A lot of times this is because of your birth order. I think it’s unbelievable how much someone’s personality can be influenced by the order in which they were born. As the oldest of two, I fall under the category of first-borns. I believe that the first-born traits from the Birth Order Research accurately describe me.

The research claims first-borns are perfectionists; I have to agree with this because I am a perfectionist. No matter what I set out to do, it has to be my best or else it’s not up to my standards. So when I’m drawing something for a class or doing anything artistic, it has to be exactly what I’m envisioning or else I start over and fix my mistakes. Another example of my perfectionism is my writing. I struggle with writing because I feel like I’m not meeting the requirements. Instead of letting my creativity do the work, I worry my work is not good enough. It takes me twice as long as a normal student because everything has to be exactly right. As you can deduce, the Birth Order Research accurately addresses my perfectionism.

I also agree that I’m a very reliable person, just like the Birth Order Research says of most first-borns. This holds true in all aspects of my life. If I’m working in a group project at school, I will always do my part and even more if I need to. I don’t want to be the one who doesn’t keep my commitments and lets other people down. I’m like this in soccer, too. When I’m playing, I do whatever I can to help my teammates. I try my hardest every game and practice because I have to play my part, just like everyone else. And if I’m not doing my best, the entire team is affected because if one person is off, the team can’t function as a whole. That’s why I need to be the best I can all the time. The research correctly stated my perfectionism and now my reliability.

When I saw that “list maker” was a characteristic of first-borns, I thought to myself “Nope, not at all!” but then I realized that I do in fact make lists. I am an extremely forgetful person. I have so many things on my mind that I never remember all of them. Because of my forgetfulness, I make a list of every important task I need to accomplish. Whether it’s in my phone, in an agenda, or on a scratch piece of paper, I have to write it down or else I will forget! In addition to forgetting my objectives, I also make lists to be organized. There is so much to keep track of that I need to write down what I must accomplish in order to stay organized. That way I can prioritize my assignments and see what has to be done. The research showed yet another accurate characteristic.

To my genuine surprise, the Birth Order Research displayed a fairly accurate list of traits that reflected my personality. I was not expecting to have that much in common with the research but after reading it, I felt like it described me perfectly! This research made me realize that every person is shaped by the environment specific to them. This includes our surroundings, times, and people, such as your siblings and birth order.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Birth Order Traits

What the Research Says
Evidence Showing Accuracy or Inaccuracy
Perfectionist



No matter what I do, it always has to be the best I can or else it’s not good. I take a longer time on every assignment because it HAS to be perfect. Of course there are times when whatever I’m doing isn't perfect, and those times are usually because I didn't have enough time to create a masterpiece.
Strong-willed & aggressive rather than willing to please & compliant
I am strong-willed and I don’t do things just to please others. If I strongly believe in something, I will fight for it rather than just give in, letting the other person win (I am also very competitive). For example, if I’m in a group for math and I know I have the answer I will do whatever I can to prove its right.
Holds grudges
I have to strongly disagree with this trait. There are times when I get in huge brawls with my younger sister but I can never stay mad at her. It’s not just with her though. I’m like this with family and friends as well. I just tend forgive and forget because I realize that whatever we were arguing about, doesn’t matter.
Precise




Because I am a perfectionist, I have to be precise. Everything needs to be what I envision in my mind; this goes for some things but not all. So when I get instructions, I like knowing exactly when it is due and what we have to do. Otherwise I worry that I am doing it wrong.
Reliable
I am a very reliable person in all aspects of my life. If I am in a group project at school, I will always do my part. When I am playing soccer, I do whatever I can to help my teammates. I don’t ever want to be that person who lets others down.
Makes lists
I am an extremely forgetful person. I have so many things on my mind that I never remember all of them. Because of my forgetfulness I make lists of every important task that I need to accomplish. Whether it’s in my phone, in an agenda, or on a scratch piece of paper, I have to write it down or else I will forget!


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Latin Roots #1

ROOTS AND DERIVATIVES

  1. act, ag, ig: to do, to move, to drive
  2. ali, alter: another, other
  3. am: at/ to love
  4. anim: life, spirit, soul

WORD LIST

  1. Agenda- a list or plan of things to be done in the future;
The student wrote down his homework in his agenda.

  1. Agile- to be able to move quickly and easily;
The girl was agile when she skipped across the rocks.

  1. Alienate- cause (someone) to feel isolated or estranged;
The little boy felt alienated when his friends excluded him from the baseball game.

  1. Altercation- a noisy argument or disagreement, especially in public;
There was an altercation when the cashier was arguing with the customer.

  1. Amiable- having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner;
I am very amiable when speaking to adults.

  1. Amorous- showing, feeling, or relating to sexual desire
The two lovers were very amorous with each other.

  1. Animated- full of life or excitement; lively;
When the teacher spoke to the students, she was very animated.

  1. Equanimity- mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation;
The teacher broke up the fight with great equanimity.

  1. Inalienable- unable to be taken away from or given away by the possessor;
The United States has inalienable rights.

  1. Inanimate- not alive, especially not in the manner of animals and humans;
A pencil is an inanimate object.

  1. Magnanimous- very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself;
The little boy was magnanimous when he forgave the bully.

  1. Reactionary- (of a person or a set of views) opposing political or social liberalization or reform;
My parents have a reactionary view to abortion.

Reflections on Week 1

1. The only factor that’s going to affect my participation and experience in this class is my schedule. I have soccer practice every Tuesday and Thursday; each practice takes about three hours between driving, staying late, and the actual practice. So on those two days, I am extremely busy because I also have a lot of homework for other classes: history, math, chemistry, and Spanish. Therefore, I do as much homework as possible on Mondays, Wednesdays, and the weekends.

2. The learning experience that changed me isn't necessarily the best, but I did learn. When I was in eighth grade at Tommie Kunst, I had a math teacher who really cared about and connected to his students. He taught our class really well and he taught us other useful information. I learned not only math but how to test properly, work with others, and much more. I paid attention to almost everything he said because it kept my interest and was useful.

3. I am most excited about being challenged in this class. I am most concerned about the homework we will be getting and the timed essays because I don’t do well under pressure. I look forward to learning how to cope with this pressure and reading great novels. I think by achieving these two goals, I can learn to keep calm when I have a specific time limit and gain more knowledge from reading books I would never have chosen.

Monday, August 18, 2014

My Six Words

Do what you think you can’t
Everyday there’s at least one time when I believe I can’t do something. Oftentimes it’s because I don’t want to put in the extra effort or I give up too easily or the challenge seems extremely difficult; whatever the reason, I quit because I think I can’t. I don’t really quit per say, I just take a break, regroup, and then turn my can’ts into cans. If I do only the things I think I can, I would be nowhere near where I am today. I believe that impossible isn’t fact, it’s just an opinion and it’s up to you to find a way to make is possible. By striving for the impossible, you can achieve your goals. Even if you fail, you can still learn from your mistakes and try again. But just don’t not try, because then you have given up before you have even started.